Schwaz is a small town in Tyrol, the development and prosperity of which is closely linked to the mining of silver. In the 15th and 16th centuries, up to 85% of all silver mining in the known world was taking place in Schwaz. The site’s mining heritage, and the focus of the class on reflection of materials and the socio-economic conditions under which they are produced, serve as the foundation for the exhibition, creating a framework for engaging with the politics of extraction and related issues like human labour, colonialism, and landscape politics. At the same time, parallels to more recent phenomena of "mining" are being explored, specifically the extraction of data and personal information to generate profit inherent in the 'digital economy'. 
Along with conceptual and research-based approaches, the exhibition focuses explicitly on material and aesthetic impulses that emerge from the issues at play and the juxtaposition of material and immaterial mining. 
A publication accompanying the exhibition will be published in September. 

The exhibition is sponsored by the Danner Foundation, the publication is supported by the Akademieverein München e.V.

 

Sujet & Text © Nicole Wermers

Photos © Verena Nagl unless otherwise noted

 

 

Participating artists:

Andre Bagh
Philipp Benkert
Constanze Budcke
Rachel Fäth
Yuchu Gao
Johanna Gonschorek
Stefan Holzmair
Bokyoung Jeong
Wanho Joung
Frida Kato
Anna Lena Keller
Minhye Kim
Laia Martí Puig
Michael Mönnich
Barbara Posch
Viola Relle & Raphael Weilguni
Rebecca Ruchti
Gloria Sogl
Zhenyu Sun
Ayaka Terajima
Haha Wang